Chicken Lettuce Wraps from Ticoz Resto-Bar

Last year we marked the hundred day countdown to Best of Phoenix by sharing our 100 Favorite Dishes with you. Now we're back - with the 2011 edition. Have a suggestion for a dish you'd like us to try? Leave it in the comments section or email laura.hahnefeld@newtimes.com.

Luxe, polished, and urban, the bar at Ticoz makes us feel like we're sitting in someone's comfy living room. A very chic someone's comfy living room, who just happens to be serving classy cocktails and a full menu of comfort food with a bit of Latin flair. Our favorite Ticoz twist on a standard menu item would have to be the colorful fruit and nut studded chicken lettuce wraps served with crisp romaine lettuce cups.

The chicken lettuce wraps at Ticoz were an ideal balance between sweet, savory, and tangy, with offbeat ingredients like dried cherries, mango and pineapple chunks melding with pepitas and salty macademia nuts. This jewel-toned chicken salad was then tossed in tangy vinaigrette and readied for its delicate, crisp lettuce coat. The overall effect was bright, fresh flavors that were familiar and unusual all at once. Plus lettuce wraps are inherently fun. You're never too old to play with your food.